The residents, teachers, students, and townspeople of Newtown, Conn, got the thrill of a lifetime on Sunday afternoon shortly before the start of the New York Giants-Philadelphia Eagles National Football League game.
Many of the Newtown folks were permitted to have the rare experience of standing on the football field shortly before the start of the game. The players and coaches from both teams personally slapped five with everyone in attendance and ultimately completed a circle of prayer with them.
It was a touching, hard-to-forget show of solidarity and kindness. It made the actual game an afterthought.
Of course, it was especially poignant to see because these were the people who needed the biggest boost possible toward the end of 2012 after the horrific shootings of small children and teachers in the Sandy Hook school shattered the calm of the bucolic community.
It's heartwarming to see the generosity of spirit exhibited by our sports stars, who have influence over kids (and those wide-eyed adults). For a flickering moment, the community of Newtown — which by now encompasses the whole world — could smile just a little and continue the impossible task of trying to reclaim a normal life in that heartbroken town.
I was pleased that my team — the Giants — won, 42-7, on Sunday and kicked around our ancient rival from Philly. But what really mattered was the show of class that the Giants, the Eagles, and the NFL demonstrated.
This time, the Newtown, Conn., folks had a happy, reassuring memory that will last a lifetime. Happy New Year!
Jon Friedman writes the Media Web column for MarketWatch.com. Click here to read his latest column. He is also the author of "Forget About Today: Bob Dylan's Genius for (Re)invention, Shunning the Naysayers and Creating a Personal Revolution. Click here to order a copy. Read more reports from Jon Friedman — Click Here Now.
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